Recap

It makes me uncomfortable to leave some of the things written as is. I decided to suck it up, because this isn't about me telling you the glamourous portion of my trip to Ecuador. I want full on exposure. I want people to understand what all I was going on during that time, because even I almost cannot believe it.

There is a lot of need in Ecuador. There's political influence on a lot of things, and either you roll high or you roll low. The first time I went, I fell in love with the country. The second time, I think I was trying to fill a void that I'd exaggerated in my mind over time. Yet I'd had no training, my Spanish was mediocre, I couldn't understand what I was feeling... and yet I just had to do something. There I was, one girl, trying to do something in the lives of 64 girls. There was just two many of them, and not enough of me. There was no supplies, no funding, no instruction. I spent many afternoons sitting on the cool, cracked pavement to subdue the tropical heat with five pairs of hands in my hair, braiding away. I sang "I've got the joy, joy, joy down in my heart" and "head, shoulders, knees, and toes" in Spanish more times than I can count. I even resorted to yodeling, which they loved. Oh yes, I yodeled almost every day since they first heard it.

Michelle, or Shelly, was my first room mate in Ecuador. She was blonde, and packed a lot of stuff. She came about my third week there, and I was excited to have someone to share my experiences with. As she unpacked her stuff that night into her half of our closet, I noticed that lying on her bed was one of my favorite books of all time: "Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers. That may have been one of the only things we had in common. I was wild and reckless, and Shelly was motivated, eager to learn, and was... Christian. I have no doubt in my mind that Shelly came into my life for a reason. How do I even begin to describe my relationship with Shelly? We tried each other. For her, I tried her in a lot more ways. Shelly was a lot like a sister. She was honest and stern, and told me when I needed to get my act together. She didn't judge or condemn me, which I had expected. Throughout our time together, Shelly showed me a lot of grace, a lot of forgiveness, patience, and understanding. She included me, and helped me. She earned my respect, and became my friend. Needless to say, Shelly witnessed a lot of the events that occur over the next few months and she was there for me. Every time.

Shelly worked in a Catholic funded orphanage a few blocks away, so we ended up taking the bus most of the way together. Because my orphanage was so overwhelming, sometimes she would come with me to mine, and then I would go to hers. When I went to Mexico, bubbles were a big hit. One day, we bought four bottles of bubbles and went to my orphanage. Talk about a mistake! Those girls were punching each other in the face the second we let them out of our hands. We were scolded for not bringing something for all the girls. There rest of my days were empty handed.

Shelly and I went to Salinas, a beach about two hours from Guayaquil, with our host brother Raul. Our first day on the beach, we both got so sunburnt. We looked like lobsters! I had so many great times with this girl. We were so opposite, but she was such a great companion! She also introduced me to some really cool people. Shelly had these crazy connections to missionaries in Ecuador through her University. One missionary couple she introduced me to are mentioned in the next excerpt. These people became such an encouragement to me during hard times, even after Shelly had returned to the United States.

Marcy and Kevin were both missionary kids in Ecuador and if I remember correctly, went to the same school growing up. Marcy's great-great-great-great (maybe more) grandfather was the first missionary to Ecuador. Ever. Marcy was full of these great stories about her family's history. They were two of the sweetest people, and she would invite us over for lunch. She always served American food-- mashed potatoes, baked beans, and so on. Honestly, these were some of the most humble, kind, and generous people I've ever met. They were so full of love, and willing to feed a complete stranger. The next excerpt was written after I met them.

This house still is a dream of mine.